The Trade Union Bill weakens our voice at work, and weakens our campaigning voice. It undermines the right to strike, union organisation and aims to make it harder for unions to win a fairer deal at work.

The bill, which passed its second reading on 14 September, proposes huge restrictions on peaceful picketing and protests and is widely seen as an attack on basic human rights.

Workers will only be able to take strike action if 50% or more of eligible members vote in the industrial action ballot. For action in ‘important public services’ which includes health and education, 40% of all members eligible to vote would have to vote yes for a union to have a strike mandate. That means if 50% of members vote, 80% of those must vote yes.

Over 88% of Scottish local government members voting in their pay ballot have accepted a two year offer with a new Living Wage deal. Staff will now get a 1.5% rise from 1 April 2015 and 1% from April 2016.

Importantly, the Scottish Local Government Living Wage of £7.85 per hour will be put in place before the 1.5% rise, making it £7.97 an hour.

And in April 2016, the Living Wage will be increased to the recommended figure of the Living Wage Foundation, again before the 1% rise. There will also be talks on removing the pay points below the Living Wage level.

Negotiators succeeded in getting the initial offer of two years at 1.25% front-loaded to 1.5% in 2015 which is above inflation and slightly increases the value of the 1% in 2016. In August inflation was 0.0% on the Consumer Prices Index and 1.1% on the Retail Prices Index.